Rummy 500
Also known as: 500 Rum, Pinochle Rummy
Quick Rules
- Draw one card (from the stock or anywhere in the discard pile), then discard one, every turn.
- Lay down sets (3+ of a kind) or runs (3+ consecutive cards, same suit) face up once you have them - unlike Gin Rummy, you don't have to wait to "knock."
- Add matching cards to your own or anyone else's melds already on the table on your turn.
- Taking cards from deep in the discard pile means taking every card above your target too, all into your hand.
- First to empty their hand ends the round; score points for your own melds minus points for cards still in your hand, playing to a target score like 500.
How to Play (Quick Overview)
- 1
Deal 7 cards to each player in a 2 or 3-player game, or fewer (down to 5 each) for larger groups; place the rest face down as the stock, with the top card turned face up beside it to start the discard pile.
- 2
On your turn, draw either the top card of the stock, or any card from within the discard pile - but if you take a card that isn't on top, you must also take every card stacked above it in that pile.
- 3
Lay down any complete sets (3 or more of the same rank) or runs (3 or more consecutive cards in one suit) from your hand face up on the table at any point during your turn.
- 4
Add extra matching cards from your hand onto any meld already on the table - your own or another player's - as long as it stays a legal set or run.
- 5
End your turn by discarding one card face up onto the discard pile.
- 6
The round ends the instant a player empties their hand; every player then scores the value of their own melds, minus the value of any cards still left in their hand.
Objective
Score more points than everyone else, across several rounds, by laying down valuable melds and avoiding getting stuck holding cards when someone else goes out.
Setup
Shuffle a standard 52-card deck (adding a second deck if there are more than 4 players). Deal 7 cards to each player in a 2 or 3-player game (fewer cards each as the group grows larger). Place the remaining cards face down as the stock pile, and turn the top card face up to start the discard pile.
How to Play
On your turn, draw either the top card of the stock pile, or any single card from within the discard pile - but taking a card from partway down the discard pile means you must take every card stacked above it as well, adding all of them to your hand at once.
Unlike Gin Rummy, you don’t need to wait for a special “knock” moment - as soon as your hand contains a complete set (3 or more cards of the same rank) or run (3 or more consecutive cards of the same suit), you may lay it face up on the table immediately, on any turn.
You may also add matching cards from your hand onto any meld already showing on the table - whether it’s your own or another player’s - as long as the addition keeps it a legal set or run (for example, adding a 4th card of the same rank to an existing triple, or extending a run at either end).
End your turn by discarding one card face up.
Scoring
The round ends immediately once any player discards their very last card, emptying their hand. Everyone then scores:
- Add the point value of every card in melds they’ve laid down on the table (their own melds and any cards they added onto other players’ melds).
- Subtract the point value of every card still left in their own hand.
Card values: face cards count as 10, Aces count as 15 (or sometimes 1, by house rule - agree on this before playing), and number cards count at face value.
Winning
Play continues across several rounds, with scores accumulating on a running total. The first player to reach an agreed target score - commonly 500 points - wins the game.
Variations
- Pinochle Rummy: a related variant using a Pinochle-style deck instead of a standard one.
- Going out empty-handed bonus: some house rules award a bonus to a player who goes out without ever having drawn from the discard pile that round.
- No meld additions: some simplified rule sets don’t allow adding cards onto other players’ melds, only your own - check which version your group is playing before the first meld goes down.
History
Rummy 500 is an American development of the broader Rummy family, generally credited to the early 20th century as an elaboration on basic Rummy that added the ability to lay down melds progressively rather than only at the end of a hand, along with the distinctive rule of taking multiple cards at once from deep within the discard pile. Its scoring-to-500 format is where the game’s common name comes from.
Fun Fact
Rummy 500’s rule allowing any player to take a card from deep within the discard pile - as long as they take every card above it too - is one of the more distinctive innovations in the whole Rummy family, and it’s directly responsible for the game’s noticeably faster, more aggressive pace compared to earlier Rummy variants.